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Wealth is currently being distributed

Published/Last Modified on Monday, Dec 08, 2008 - 11:01:13 pm MST

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To the Editor:

This is in reference “Young writer still has lessons to learn” Nov. 18 by Al Byrd, who lectured our Northern Arizona University freshman and Buena High School graduate who, a few days earlier, wrote the thoughtful and accomplished treatise “Seeing through the rhetoric in Sierra Vista” dealing with the failure of the recent school bond override.

It’s also in reference to the lady whose letter the Herald/Review published recently in which she made a thoughtful plea for Christmas donations to Toys for Tots, including a plea she hoped the more blessed forks from Fort Huachuca would not forget there are still a lot of poor people living in Sierra Vista.

In his eloquent lecture of our NAU freshman, Byrd makes reference to “socialism.” He states, “Oh, yes, one more comment, I served my country and my years in the civilian work force. Do you intend to serve your country, doing a tour of military duty or stay at home and work for out new president-elect, Barack Hussein Obama, spread the wealth?”

Brother Byrd is hypocritical. I, too, served my county in a combat zone, having been drafted for the Korean War, and ended up with three separate retirement checks for 26 1/2 years Army service, 10 1/2 years civil service, and Social Security based on 26 1/2 years deductions during Army service. I, too, have paid real estate taxes here, since 1969. I, too, have been responsible for development, submission and execution of multimillion-dollar government budgets on Fort Huachuca — a far cry from the constraints and complexities of funding and executing the city and public school program budgets of Sierra Vista.

If Byrd thinks the source of his, and my, active and retired paychecks are not 100 percent a distribution of socialized wealth, he must be commuting from another planet. Byrd and I don’t “deserve a measure of comfort.” It has been bestowed upon us by a generous distribution of socialized wealth.

A couple of months ago, the Herald/Review reported the situation of the young Sierra Vista woman who is struggling with physical drain of treatments for leukemia and astronomical medical bills, getting herself to work as a waitress, to be able to support herself and young son, not knowing what tomorrow holds.

I reflect on my experience 30 months ago when a bleeding aneurysm was discovered in my aorta and emergency surgery was performed at Mayo Hospital in Phoenix at a cost of $70,000. With my free socialized military Tri Care of Life and my socialized Medicare, it did not cost me one dime.

I earnestly hope a new school bond referendum could be put before the public again in the near future to save, expand and improve out public school system, and to give Byrd one more chance to do the right thing for himself, Sierra Vista and posterity.

Kenneth L. Hayden

Sierra Vista

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to winston wrote on Dec 11, 2008 8:45 AM:

" No, it is no exaggeration. Thinking that ONE music teacher per elementary school is extravagent is ridiculous - you only have to compare it to other states, and even other communities in AZ (Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tucson). It's absurd that the people in this community are willing to give so little for the kids. And there is no "extra" 10 million. That is patently false. And if you think 36M is a lot, divide it by the number of students to get per pupil funding, then compare that against the country. It's in the toilet. "

not a joke wrote on Dec 11, 2008 8:41 AM:

" no. I am saying that even with the override in place, SV, and AZ in general offer very basic education services as compared with most other states (hence the 49th out of 50 state ranking). Here's an example: a friend of mine is a teacher in a small town in Wisconsin. His elementary school has around 400 students. They have SIX music teachers - a director, and orchestra teacher, a band teacher, and three general music teachers. That's ONE small school. Not coincidentally, Wisconsin has one of the best education records. "

Old King midas wrote on Dec 11, 2008 8:36 AM:

" The whole group of letters are based on the assumption that seniors voted down the override and that the problem with the schools is lack of money. If you point to that nice new court complex full of young people, the parents whine that society did this. Take your child to the library and lets run the bad apples out of town. "

is that joke wrote on Dec 10, 2008 7:42 PM:

" "VERY basic, low level of service" You must be kidding? Are you trying to say the override is providing the bulk of the school programs? Try not to exaggerate. The state grants a generous budget with annual cost of living increases built in even. How much more do you want, until homeowners are forced out? $36 million M&O base budget is not low. There is actually nearly $10million more given to the district that noone talks about either.... "

to Winston Smith wrote on Dec 10, 2008 2:21 PM:

" The district does not set the amount it can spend. A Revenue Control Limit is dictated to the district from the state legislature. The district can, and does, live within that budget. That budget maintains a VERY basic, low level of service. The override provides the community and district the opportunity to seek a bit more to improve the opportunities for students in SV. It is not a matter of the district "lowballing" its budget. What good would come of that? So they can have the "fun" of trying to pass an override? "

Winston Smith wrote on Dec 9, 2008 11:08 PM:

" Year after year they make a budget, pass it and then come around for more.
There is no other issue. They have to live within the budget they pass. No more low balling "

To Kurt Obermeier wrote on Dec 9, 2008 7:18 PM:

" Please tell us/state the facts, why they need so many assistant principals, at their overblown salaries. "

Kurt Obermeier wrote on Dec 9, 2008 1:44 PM:

" (CONTINUED) I'm sure the district office would welcome your insight and you'd be doing all of us a great service. Your factual information about the "poor management of the money they already have" would certainly set you apart from those who find it simply to easy to make claims and take anonymous potshots at people who work every day to give our kids the best opportunities to get a quality education. Accusations are easily made but facts to back them up with are usually harder to find. "

I can see clearly wrote on Dec 9, 2008 1:05 PM:

" It isn't hard to see what side of the issue the Herald is on, limiting comments to 100 words, yet publsihing the four cont. comments from an override supporter. "

no next year wrote on Dec 9, 2008 12:53 PM:

" What your letter FAILS to address, is you are well off with 3 retirement checks, but you fail to realize many only live on one Soc. Sec. check. So your self-centered attitude is that you think everyone can afford it. ALl you yes folks, go chip in double what the tax was and fund all the fluff you desire. NO NEXT YEAR for the rest of us.
As for Jared, go write a book since you have so much to say. "

Kurt Obermeier wrote on Dec 9, 2008 11:50 AM:

" To I Hear an echo - If you have any facts to share with us about who and how the Sierra Vista School District is mismanaging funds I sure wish you would share them with us and with those charged with overseeing those funds so we can put a stop to it. If however, you're simply parroting phrases like "poor management" without any supporting facts I'd suggest you refrain from making accusations based on false assumptions. If you have the facts, tell us and use your real name so we can give credit where credit is due. "

Good job wrote on Dec 9, 2008 11:23 AM:

" Congratulations to Bisbee High School for being named by U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s best high schools for 2006-07.

Perhaps if the Sierra Vista schools could earn this type of recognition more people would support additional funding.

Maybe SV can ask the Bisbee Unified School District for tips on how to manage money? "

Worked hard for mine wrote on Dec 9, 2008 11:19 AM:

" You like my self have worked hard to earn your retirement, SS and Tri-care for life. You paid into the system for these benifits. That is not socialiism. Spreading the wealth of someone (who worked hard for it) to some on who did not. That is socialism. "

Jared cont. wrote on Dec 9, 2008 9:38 AM:

" The same is true with the food program - it is virtually self-sustaining. And if it were cut, that money would just be taken back from the state, and not reappropriated. So all of these "budget experts," who demand the district to cut and cut (and expect there to be no negative societal implications) - show, in the context of the entire budget and school-funding framework, where? The more research you do (using actual SV budget and funding figures) the more you'll discover how little money there is - and how good a job is being done. "

Jared cont. wrote on Dec 9, 2008 9:35 AM:

" There is a point of diminished returns when it comes to cuts (some cuts create efficiencies, no doubt). There are over 2800 students at Buena, and already there are problems with safety. So should we cut more adults, creating additional safety concerns? Staff those positions with volunteers of questionable reliability? (you get what you pay for, remember). Cut transportation? (which wouldn't mean more money for the school district since trans money is appropriated from the state for that purpose alone, if you don't use it on trans, you can't use it elsewher) "

Jared cont. wrote on Dec 9, 2008 9:30 AM:

" Furthermore - people speek constantly of waste. Yet attendance at school board meetings is nil. the budget is posted online (do a google search and you'll find it), yet people fail to read/understand school finance (it's more complicated than your home budget). Where is the waste? There may be tens of thousands dollars worth of economizing that can yet be done, and it will be (over 300K has already been cut). But not 3 MILLION dollars worth. It's just not possible. "

Jared cont. wrote on Dec 9, 2008 9:26 AM:

" The point is that many people in this community utterly depend upon tax payer dollars and are not subjected to the kind of scrutiny (correctly or incorrectly) directed against the school district. There is an incredible amount of waste and mismanagment in these other agencies - people drawing disability without really being disabled ...taxpayers footing the bill for expensive procedures for people who have let themselves go physically (laziness). Yet these entitlements go unquestioned and unscrutinized. This community esecially should recognize its dependence upon taxes and not all of a sudden "find religion" when it comes totheschools. "

Jared wrote on Dec 9, 2008 9:19 AM:

" Thanks for your letter, Kenneth. You say what needs to be said - this town wouldn't exist were it not for a "Socialized redistribution" of taxpayer dollars. Those people who live here and are members of the military, civil servants, government contractors, and/or retired (other fields as well) and are drawing social security derive their sustenance from taxpayer dollars. Should we put to a popular vote whether or not some retiree should get that expensive surgery? Wasn't there some "mismanagement?" Couldn't you have exercised more, or lived a healthier lifestyle? "

Do I hear an echo wrote on Dec 9, 2008 7:12 AM:

" It's funny how all you people refuse to address the fact there is poor management of the money they already have. Have you nothing to say about that? Just going to kind of ignore that, huh, and hope it goes away. I guess that's one way to deal with issues. Hey, it works for the school district.... "

David wrote on Dec 9, 2008 6:32 AM:

" I doubt many will argue that as a nation we have been sliding towards socialism since the 30's. A lot of us will argue that that was, and still is, the wrong way to go. Not a whole lot more to say about that. "